Before the crack of dawn, on a quiet residential road in Burnt Oak, officers prepared to swoop on a house that may contain modern slaves.

At around 5am, they raided the suburban home and found 11 possible victims of modern slavery.

The dramatic scenes in Gervase Road, Edgware on Tuesday morning (January 22) were part of a raid aimed at the construction industry using workers in "debt bondage", meaning they receive very little, if any, pay for the work they do.

Police arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of modern slavery offences within the construction industry.

The raid was coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) with support from Met Police and the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), a body that oversees the use of labour in certain industries.

What is modern slavery and how to spot it

Detective Inspector James Mather said "Modern slavery is the exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain."

“The signs of modern slavery aren’t always obvious but there are some that you may notice. These include:

People being withdrawn

Unable to make eye contact

Being reluctant to talk to strangers

Their appearance may be unkempt

They may be malnourished

The may show signs of physical or psychological injury

They may have inappropriate clothing or equipment for their job

Working long hours for little or no pay

Their accommodation may be overcrowded and poorly maintained

They may lack some basic freedoms, such as not having access to their identity or travel documents, and have their movements restricted.

The 49-year-old man and all the possible victims have been confirmed as being Romanian nationals. NCA investigators are grilling the man after he was arrested at the house, which NCA senior investigating officer Ian Truby described as "appalling".

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“Today’s operation is the culmination of an investigation into a Romanian organised crime group suspected of involvement in trafficking and labour exploitation in the construction industry," he said.

“It is alleged that victims were forced to live in appalling conditions under the control of the group through a form of debt bondage, which meant they received very little money for work they did.

“Following today’s operation a number of items including phones and documents were recovered, they will now be examined and our investigation will continue.”

GLAA Director of Operations Ian Waterfield said: “Thousands of people are being exploited for their labour across the country, so I would appeal to the public to report anything suspicions.

"Ourselves and our colleagues can then take swift and decisive action such as with today’s operation.”

Anyone with information about potential victims of modern slavery, or suspicions or concerns that someone may be being exploited can call Metropolitan Police on 101 or the Modern Slavery Helpline 08000 121 700.

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